The
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (
NASCAR) makes and enforces numerous rules and regulations that transcend all racing series.
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
issues a different rule book for each racing series; however, rule books are published exclusively for NASCAR members and are not made available to the public. Still, many of the rules, such as the scoring system, have been widely publicized both by NASCAR and the media.
Championship points system
| Position | Points |
|---|
| 1st |
185 |
| 2nd |
170 |
| 3rd |
165 |
| 4th |
160 |
| 5th |
155 |
| 6th |
150 |
| 7th |
146 |
| 8th |
142 |
| 9th |
138 |
| 10th |
134 |
| 11th |
130 |
| 12th |
127 |
| 13th |
124 |
| 14th |
121 |
| 15th |
118 |
| 16th |
115 |
| 17th |
112 |
| 18th |
109 |
| 19th |
106 |
| 20th |
103 |
| 21st |
100 |
| 22nd |
97 |
| 23rd |
94 |
| 24th |
91 |
| 25th |
88 |
| 26th |
85 |
| 27th |
82 |
| 28th |
79 |
| 29th |
76 |
| 30th |
73 |
| 31st |
70 |
| 32nd |
67 |
| 33rd |
64 |
| 34th |
61 |
| 35th |
58 |
| 36th |
55 |
| 37th |
52 |
| 38th |
49 |
| 39th |
46 |
| 40th |
43 |
| 41st |
40 |
| 42nd |
37 |
| 43rd |
34 |
For all series championships in
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947-48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
, driver points are awarded after each race. For the three major championships, as well as the touring championships, points are given out for each race based on two categories:
Final Position, and
Laps Led. The
Whelen All-American SeriesThe Whelen All-American Series is a semi-professional and amateur auto racing series sanctioned by NASCAR. It is commonly seen as the lowest level of competitive racing sanctioned by NASCAR, and is thus the entry point for a number of aspiring drivers.In the 25 years of NASCAR sanctioning weekly...
rewards points on the final position only and the specifics of how points are rewarded may vary from race to race.
For
points according to position, there are three different scales: 5 point, 4 point, and 3 point. First Place gets 185 points, with fifteen points separating first from second. After second place (170 points), the first scale starts, with
five points separating second through sixth place. After sixth place the second scale starts, separating drivers by
four points for positions seven through eleven. After that, the third scale is in effect, separating the rest of the field by
three points (see chart on left). This is why cars will sometimes go back on track after a wreck, even if they have no chance of winning. By moving up three positions, they gain nine more points. Every driver who starts the race will receive the full points appropriate to his/her finishing position, and there is no minimum distance to complete before one can be classified in a finishing position.
For
points according to laps led there are two five-point bonuses: 5 points for leading a lap (any single lap) and five points for leading the most laps of the drivers in that race. If a driver has led at least one lap in the race, that driver is awarded an extra 5 points on top of the points they earned based on position. Since, it is impossible to win a race without having led at least the last lap, the five bonus points for leading a lap means that the minimum points a race winner receives is 190 points (185 for position plus 5 for leading a lap). In addition, the driver who leads the most laps earns an additional 5 points. The driver who leads the most laps in a race will have received 10 bonus points (5 for his first lap led, and 5 for leading the most laps). Lap leadership is determined at the start-finish line at the end of each lap. A driver cannot simply lead part of a lap somewhere on the track; the driver must be the first across the start-finish line to be considered the leader for that lap. The pole sitter is therefore not guaranteed to receive 5 bonus points since he could be passed during the first lap. Lap leadership is counted under both green and yellow flags, so drivers will sometimes skip a pit stop in order to inherit the lead during a caution lap and obtain the bonus points.
Drivers’ points are assigned to the driver who starts the race. It is legal (though rare) to change drivers during a race (usually due to injury or fatigue), but the replacement driver gets no points, and the driver that started the race will get credit for the final finishing position. In 2007 Denny Hamlin replaced Aric Almirola in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at The Milwaukee Mile, because Aric started the race he was awarded the points and credit for the win even though Denny Hamlin drove the car to victory lane.
Points are also given to the owner of a car. For a car that makes the field, the owner points are the same as the driver points for that race. Cars that fail to qualify for a race gain owner points based on how well they qualified, continuing the 3 points per position so that the 44th car in qualifying gets 31 points, the 45th gets 28 points, and so forth, to a minimum of one point below 54th.
NASCAR points system development
From the beginning of championship series until 1967 championship points were based on prize money purses. Races with lesser purses paid fewer points than races with bigger purses.
First, the NASCAR point system used for championship from 1949 till 1951 awarded points on basis 10 points for the 1st place, 9 pts for 2nd, 8 pts for 3rd and so on, multiplied by 0.05*race purse (Race worth $4000 paid 200 points to the winner, 180 for 2nd place...). No info about how many points were given to drivers finishing below 10th place.
From 1952 till 1967, the NASCAR point system was based on linear scale for first 25 positions: 25-24-23-... Coefficients changed, but were always depending on prize money. From 25th place down there were awarded the same number of points.
In 1968, NASCAR started to award points depending on race distance, not prize money. Point system was 50-49-48-... multiplied by 1 for events to 249 miles, 2 for events 250-399 miles and 3 for events 400 miles and more. System stopped from 50th place. This system was in use until the end of 1971 season.
In 1972 (the start of the "Modern Era"), together with shortening the schedule, the point system was also modified. Basic points of 100-98-96-... were awarded for each race. Additionally, lap points were awarded for the number of laps completed. Tracks under 1 mile, 0.25 points a lap; 1-mile tracks, 0.50; 1.3-mile track (Darlington), 0.70; 1.5-mile tracks, 0.75; 2-mile tracks (Michigan), 1.00; tracks 2.5 miles and over, 1.25. This system was also used in 1973.
In 1974, the points system was simple: Total money winnings from all track purses (qualifying and contingency awards did not count), in dollars, multiplied by the number of races started, and the resulting figure divided by 1,000 determined the number of points earned. By the end of the season
Richard PettyFor the president & C.E.O. of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, see Richard PeddieRichard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
had such a big lead in points, that he increased it even by finishing 30th while his main rival
Cale YarboroughWilliam Caleb Yarborough , is a businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is the one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, before Jimmie Johnson in 2006-2008...
made a top-5 (Remember - the money was multiplied by the number of races started. Even if Cale made more money in one particular race, when the total money was multiplied by e. g. 27, the difference between the two leaders could also increase in comparison with situation after race 26).
The current NASCAR points system was developed in 1975 following years of trouble in trying to develop a points system -- from 1949 until 1971, six different systems were used, and in 1972, NASCAR used a different system each year for the next three years.
That type of inconsistency, which included a system, which rewarded most mileage for the entire season, and then another year where mileage and finishing positions were counted, favored larger circuits, and some fans complained about a champion who only won one race. That resulted in a 1974 ill-fated attempt at basing the points system on money and starts. Even though one driver won consecutive races, his opponent who had won the big money races had scored more points.
Bob LatfordRobert Graham 'Bob' Latford was a NASCAR historian best known for developing the current point system used in the Sprint Cup Series , Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series....
, a former public relations official at
Lowe's Motor SpeedwayLowe's Motor Speedway is a speedway in Concord, North Carolina, north of Charlotte. It features a long quad-oval track that seats 167,000 people, with room for 50,000 more spectators in the infield...
, devised NASCAR's longest used points system, which was adopted in 1975, which NASCAR used two different versions for their series from 1982 until 1998. In the system, the winner received 175 points, second 170 points, and other positions exactly the same as the current points system.
Until 1998, the Nationwide Series points system offered 180 points for the winner, but no bonuses for leading laps. The same was true for the Camping World Truck Series until the end of that season, when NASCAR decided to standardise the points system for their series.
One complaint about the points system was that a driver could finish second and receive an equal number of points as a race winner, which was possible if the driver who led the most laps finished second. NASCAR amended the problem in 2004 by adding five points to the winner, and again in 2007 by adding another five points to the winner.
Vehicle numbers
All vehicles competing in a NASCAR sanctioned event prominently display numbers on the roof and door areas. Unlike many series, especially
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
, numbers are not assigned based on the previous year’s point’s positions. NASCAR owns the rights to each number and licenses them to teams annually. NASCAR usually reissues numbers that teams have previously used and may allow teams to request numbers of significance. Ironically, while most series including Formula One reserve #1 for the reigning champion, only once has any one in one of NASCAR's three national series won a championship driving car #1 or #01 --
Ted MusgraveTheodore Musgrave is a racecar driver. Previously driving in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, he is currently a free agent.-Pre-NASCAR:...
in the 2005 Camping World Truck Series.
The numbers displayed can range from 0 to 99 (as well as 00 to 09); however, the official numbers may contain three digits if two teams wish to use the same double-digit number. For example, one team could be #27 and the other #127. (If two teams have the same single-digit number, one team will offically be, for example, #4, and the other team will be #1-4.) No two teams are allowed to display the same number on their cars in the same event. If a situation occurs where two teams show up with the same 2 digit number on the car, NASCAR will ask them to decide who will change their number, if neither team is willing to change then the team higher in points will use the number.
NASCAR rarely retires numbers in the way that some professional sports teams do. Only one number, #61, in the
Whelen Modified TourThe NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR in the Modified division. The Modified division is NASCAR's oldest division, and its one of two open-wheeled divisions...
, is retired, and that was after the 1985 season, when
Richie EvansRichard Ernest Evans , was an American racing driver who won nine NASCAR National Modified Championships, including eight in a row from 1978 to 1985. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame lists this achievement as "one of the supreme accomplishments in motorsports"...
was killed at
Martinsville SpeedwayMartinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in...
.
Currently, there is debate as to whether #3 (which is commonly associated with the late
Dale EarnhardtDale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his career driving stock cars in NASCAR's top division. Earnhardt had four children, Kerry, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Dale Jr., and Taylor Earnhardt...
) should be retired. There was a debate to retire
Richard Petty'sFor the president & C.E.O. of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, see Richard PeddieRichard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
#43 following his retirement, but NASCAR ultimately chose against it and
Petty EnterprisesPetty Enterprises was a NASCAR racing team based in Randleman, North Carolina. The team was owned by Richard Petty, his son Kyle Petty, and Boston Ventures. At the time of its folding the team operated the #43 and #45 Dodge Chargers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Petty Enterprises ran from 1949...
chose in 1994, after spending the 1993 season in the #44, to return to racing with #43, which has continued to this day. Richard Childress Racing has decided to use the #3 in the NASCAR Camping World East Series in 2008, with grandson Austin Dillon racing the #3, a decision he wanted, that his grandfather said, "It was something Austin wanted to do because it was my number (when he started in 1971). It's neat to watch Austin race it, but when I'm watching, I'm more worried than I am thinking about the number."
History of safety in NASCAR
Safety in racing has come a long way since the first green flag dropped. Up until the last few years, NASCAR was heavily criticized for its lack of focus on safety. Many safety precautions were not mandatory, as they are in other racing series, but only optional or recommended. NASCAR changed its stance on this after one of the sport's most popular drivers,
Dale EarnhardtDale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his career driving stock cars in NASCAR's top division. Earnhardt had four children, Kerry, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Dale Jr., and Taylor Earnhardt...
, was
killed in a racing accidentThe death of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. during an auto race on February 18, 2001, was a highly-publicized event that generated intense interest from the media and resulted in various safety improvements in NASCAR auto racing....
on the last lap of the
2001The 43rd annual Daytona 500 was held February 18, 2001 at Daytona International Speedway. Bill Elliott won the pole. The race will be forever remembered for the final lap...
Daytona 500The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule. Matt Kenseth is the defending champion of the race....
. Since
2002The 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup began on Saturday, February 10, and ended on Sunday, November 17. Tony Stewart with Joe Gibbs Racing was crowned the Winston Cup champion...
, no driver has been killed on the track in any of NASCAR's three major series.
The greatest testament to the efficacy of the new safety rules was in a spectacular but nonfatal crash during qualifying runs for the
2008 Samsung 500The 2008 Samsung 500 was the seventh race for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and run on Sunday, April 6th at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas...
at
Texas Motor SpeedwayTexas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas -- the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track layout is very similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway...
.
Michael McDowellMichael Christopher McDowell is an American race car driver. He currently drives the #36 Wave Energy Drink Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the #26 Dusty's Collision/Fischer Honda Dodge Charger in the Nationwide Series for K Automotive Racing...
, in his second Sprint Cup race for Michael Waltrip Racing in his Toyota
Car of TomorrowThe Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
was in the midst of the second lap of his qualifying run when his car slipped on some loose oil-dry. The oil-dry had been left from the clean up of a previous incident where a qualifier "blew up" his engine between Turns One and Two. Upon hitting the oil-dry, McDowell was sent head first into the
SAFER barrierThe Steel and Foam Energy Reduction barrier, sometimes called a soft wall, is a technology found primarily on oval automobile race tracks and intended to make racing accidents safer...
at nearly . McDowell's car began to flip and roll violently, leaving much of his car in parts on the track. Just seconds after the car came to a stop, McDowell was able to crawl out and walk away from the crash with no major injuries, and he was able to race the next day.
Seats
The seats that the drivers sit in have evolved over the past few years. Most of the seats found in the race cars wrap around the driver's rib cage which provides some support during a crash, spreading the load out over the entire rib cage instead of letting it concentrate in a smaller area. Some of the newer seats wrap around the driver's shoulders as well, which provides better support because the shoulders are more durable than the rib cage. The introduction of
carbon fiberCarbon fiber is a material consisting of extremely thin fibers about 0.005–0.010 mm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in microscopic crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
seats have also helped improved safety, as carbon fiber absorbs more energy from an impact than the traditional aluminum seats did.
Seat belts and harnesses
The seat belts in stock cars are very important. They are built to be stronger than a normal seat belt. The seat belts used are the five- or six-point harness, which is two straps coming down over the driver's shoulders, two straps wrap around the waist, and one or two come up between the legs. Since a string of accidents in 2000 and 2001 that killed
Adam PettyAdam Kyler Petty was a professional racing driver. He was the first fourth-generation driver in NASCAR history.-Early life:...
,
Kenny IrwinKenneth Dale Irwin, Jr. was a NASCAR stock car driver. He had driven in all three major of forms of NASCAR and had two total victories. Before that, he raced in the United States Auto Club against Tony Stewart who was one of his fiercest rivals...
,
Tony RoperTony Roper was a NASCAR driver. He was born in Springfield, Missouri, to Dean Roper and Shirley Medley. Growing up his family was heavily involved in auto racing. Roper started racing in 1986. For the next six years Tony raced in IMCA Modifieds and late models on Midwest dirt and asphalt tracks...
and
Dale EarnhardtDale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his career driving stock cars in NASCAR's top division. Earnhardt had four children, Kerry, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Dale Jr., and Taylor Earnhardt...
(plus several other drivers in minor circuits) under similar circumstances, NASCAR has made it mandatory for the drivers to wear the
HANS deviceThe HANS device is a safety item compulsory in many car racing sports...
. Though NASCAR allowed another system, the
Hutchens deviceThe Hutchens device is a device for protecting race car drivers in the event of an accident by controlling head movement, reducing head and neck injuries due to whiplash. It consists of a series of straps, attached to the helmet and connected across the chest and at the waist, depending on the lap...
, in the past, since 2005 HANS is the only head and neck restraint device allowed for use.
Restrictor plate
As a safety measure to reduce speeds at the two high-banked superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega), restrictor plates are used. There are some tracks, however, where restrictor plates are not mandated and therefore see faster speeds—specifically
Atlanta Motor SpeedwayAtlanta Motor Speedway is a track in Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
and
Texas Motor SpeedwayTexas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas -- the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track layout is very similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway...
. While Atlanta is generally considered the fastest track, restrictor plates are not mandated there. In 2004 and 2005, higher qualifying speeds were posted at Texas, earning it the title of the circuit's fastest track. Unrestricted, Sprint Cup cars produce over 750
horsepowerHorsepower is the name of several non-SI units of power. It was originally defined to allow the output of steam engines to be measured and compared with the power output of draft horses. The horsepower was widely adopted to measure the output of piston engines, turbines, electric motors and other...
(560
kWThe watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units . It measures rate of energy conversion. One watt is equivalent to 1 joule of energy per second....
) and can run at speeds in excess of 200
mphmph is a three-letter acronym that refers to miles per hour, a measurement of speedMPH may also refer to:* Master of Public Health, a Master's degree in public health...
.
Rusty WallaceRussell William Wallace, Jr. is a former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, NASCAR Nationwide Series car owner, and television broadcaster with ESPN and ESPN on ABC and co-host of NASCAR Angels. Wallace had his first live broadcast of the Indy 500 on May 28, 2006...
completed a 2004 test for NASCAR at Talladega in which he used an unrestricted motor to complete average lap speeds of and top speeds near .
Roof flaps
In 1994, NASCAR introduced
roof flapA roof flap is an aerodynamic feature of modern race cars, especially stock cars.The roof flaps serve as a situational spoiler. A race car's body is designed to optimize downforce, but if that body is spun so air is flowing in reverse, lift is generated instead of countered...
s to the car, which are designed to keep cars from getting airborne and possibly flipping down the track. Following Rusty Wallace's crash at Talladaga, Penske Racing designed the original roof flaps. NASCAR team owner Jack Roush helped improve on the design of the roof flaps, in conjunction with
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversityEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a private, coeducational university with a history dating from the early days of aviation. Students are enrolled in one of two residential campuses located in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona or in Embry-Riddle Worldwide, composed of over 130...
, Daytona, Florida, USA. During spins, as a result of accidents or loss of handling, as the car rotates it eventually reaches an angle where the oncoming air reacts with the profile of the vehicle in the same manner as a wing. If the speed is high enough air flowing over the car's overall airfoil shape will create sufficient
liftA fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts a force on it. Lift is defined to be the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is defined to be the component of the fluid-dynamic force parallel to the flow...
to force the car to become airborne. To prevent this, NASCAR developed a set of flaps that are recessed into pockets on the roof of the car. As a car is turned around and reaches an angle where significant lift occurs, the low pressure above the flaps causes them to deploy. The first flap oriented 140 degrees from the centerline of the car typically deploys first. After flap deployment, higher pressure air is forced through an air tube which connects to a second flap, deploying it. This second flap ensures that, should the car continue to spin, no further lift will be created as the vehicles angle changes. The deployment of these flaps eliminates most of the lift on the vehicle. The roof flaps generally keep the cars on the ground as they spin, although it is not guaranteed.
Barriers
Beginning in the early 2000s, many tracks were retrofitted with SAFER barriers along the walls of the track. These walls absorb the energy of an impact better than concrete walls, while maintaining integrity better than traditional steel barriers. This system costs millions of dollars to put in, and the creation of this wall, which connects to the original wall, took many more millions to design and create.
Pit road safety
Pit road safety has become a major focus of NASCAR officials in recent years since the 1990 Atlanta Journal 500, where the rear tire changer for Melling Racing was killed in a pit road crash.
By April 1991, NASCAR implemented the current policy of pit road speed limits. The speed limit depends on the size of the track and the size of pit road. NASCAR uses an electronic scoring system, similar to the
VASCARVASCAR is a semi-automated technique for determining the speed of a moving vehicle. It is used by police officers to catch speeders, mainly in jurisductions where RADAR and/or LIDAR are illegal, or to prevent detection by those with radar detectors. A VASCAR unit couples a stopwatch with a...
system, to monitor the speeds of cars on pit road by measuring the time it takes to get from checkpoint to checkpoint. As the cars are not equipped with speedometers, the cars in prerace warm up laps are driven around the track at the pit road speed following the pace car so the drivers can mark their speed on the
tachometerA tachometer is an instrument that measures the rotation speed of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute on a calibrated analogue dial, but digital displays are increasingly common...
.
By 1994, almost every form of motorsport had adopted pit lane speed limits, following NASCAR's cue.
NASCAR does not allow the use of pit road specific rev limiters as found in most other forms of racing.
Since 2002, NASCAR has implemented a rule where all over the wall pit members are required to wear helmets, no visors needed, full fire suits, and gloves; while the gas man must wear a fire apron as well as the suit. While it is not required yet, it is recommended that tire changers wear safety glasses to prevent eye injuries from lug nuts thrown off the car and fuel spills. Some tire changers wear face shields or goggles.
Beginning in 2008, teams in the top three series may not roll a car more than three pit box lengths to
push startPush starting, also known as bump starting or pop starting, is a method of starting a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine by engaging the manual transmission through the motion of the vehicle. The technique is most commonly employed when other starting methods are unavailable...
a car. This prevents teams from pushing a car the length of pit road when the
starter motorA starter motor is an electric motor that rotates an internal combustion engine to cause the engine to begin powering itself.- History :...
fails. Also, outside tires that have been removed from a vehicle during a pit stop can no longer be free-rolled from the outside of the pit box to the pit wall; rather, they must be hand-directed to the inner half of the pit box before being released.
As with changes to car models, NASCAR will institute new rules during a season if it deems it necessary to enhance safety.
Spotter
In contrast with open-wheel,
sports carSports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
, and
touring carTouring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. It is notably popular in Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, and Australia...
governing bodies, NASCAR does not allow race cars to have
wing mirrorA wing mirror is a mirror found on the exterior of motor vehicles for the purposes of helping the driver see areas behind and to the sides of the vehicle, outside of the driver's peripheral vision .Although almost all modern cars mount their side mirrors...
s. Drivers may still use a
rear-view mirrorA rear-view mirror is a mirror in automobiles and other vehicles, designed to allow the driver to see rearward through the vehicle's backlight ....
and mirrors attached to the rollbar, but no mirror can extend outside of the car. As a result they are left with large
blind spotA blind spot in vehicles are part of areas that cannot be directly observed under existing circumstances. Blind spots exist in a wide range of vehicles, from cars, trucks, motorboats and aircraft.-Motor vehicles:...
s to cope with. In NASCAR’s more prominent series, spotters are used to combat this problem. The spotter’s purpose is to relay information about where cars in these blind spots are to the driver via
two-way radioA two-way radio is a radio that can both transmit and receive , unlike a broadcast receiver which only receives content.Two-way radios are available in mobile, stationary base and hand-held portable configurations. Hand-held radios are often called walkie-talkies or handie-talkies...
. Spotters also advise drivers on navigating track-obstructing crashes and may relay messages from one driver to another. NASCAR requires spotters at all times a car is on the track, including series in practice, qualifying, and the race. In many cases, a spotter is a former driver.
At some tracks, mostly the road courses, NASCAR mandates multiple spotters at key locations around the track.
Race weekends
In a typical weekend, teams will have two practice sessions, and a qualifying session before the race. In a smaller series, the race may be run in a series of qualifying races known as
heats before a
feature. A larger series will have a practice session before a two lap qualifying session, where the better of the two laps will represent the driver's time. A second practice session after qualifying which is often referred to as
happy hour is no longer common as NASCAR is moving toward more impound races, where the cars are impounded after qualifying and no changes can be made to them. If a practice session cannot be held, NASCAR may have a
competition caution at a predetermined time. If qualifying cannot be held, owner's points will be used to determine the starting grid.
Qualifying Procedure
In general, the starting order for races is determined by the best qualifying time. All cars are brought into the pits, and one at a time they are allowed to enter the track and accelerate to race speed for a two lap qualifying run. Qualification begins as the car crosses the finish line for the first time, and the best single lap time is used as the qualifying time. Qualification on road courses is generally limited to one lap rather than two. The order in which the teams qualify is determined by a random draw.
One position in the race (the last spot) is reserved as the "Champion's Provisional". It is available to any past champion who would not otherwise qualify for the race. If more than 1 champion wishes to use the provisional, priority is given to the most recent champion. If the provisional is not used by a past champion, it is released to the next fastest qualifier.
Should qualifying be cancelled due to inclement weather or other reason, qualifying order is set by current car owner points, except that during the first five races of the season, qualifying order is set by the final car owner points for the previous season.
Qualifying order is also used to determine pit stalls for the race, with the fastest qualifier getting first choice. The sole exceptions are for the
NASCAR ShootoutBudweiser Shootout at Daytona is an annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. Busch Clash was the mind child of Monty Roberts Brand Manager of the newly formed Busch beer which had formerly been Busch...
, where positions are assigned randomly, and the Sprint All-Star Race, where the results of the annual Pit Crew Challenge determine pit selection order.
In some series, particularly the Sprint Cup, there are additional practice sessions between qualifying and the race. Cars may be damaged in practice, or the team may discover other problems in practice. A car (regardless of damage) can be replaced with a backup car and remain qualified for the race, but the driver will be sent to the back of the field during the parade laps. Crews are allowed to repair a car, possibly avoiding being sent to the back, but some repairs (such as engine changes) will automatically incur the penalty. Official race records use the driver's qualifying position as his "starting position", rather than his actual position at the green flag. A separate statistical line may be included for drivers "sent to the back" and the reasons for those penalties.
Sprint Cup
In Sprint Cup races, the top 35 cars in the standings qualify automatically, regardless of qualifying time. The "top 35" cutoff is based on car owner points, not driver points. Furthermore, for the first five races of the season, the "top 35" is considered to be the final top 35 from the previous season. After 5 races, the "top 35" is the current top 35 at the conclusion of the previous race. The purpose of this rule is to reward teams which run the whole schedule. This is generally believed to improve the ability of teams to retain sponsorship by offering the sponsors assurance that their cars will indeed be in the race.
While the starting
order is still based on qualifying times, teams above the top 35 cutoff are guaranteed to be "in the show". The top 35 teams in owner’s points (as opposed to driver's points) are guaranteed to start in the top 42 positions. The 43rd starting position is reserved for the Champion's Provisional. If there is no former champion using this provisional, the eighth fastest car not in the top 35 will start 43rd.
NASCAR has revised its rules on provisionals many times over the years. There was actually no limit on provisionals during 2005-2006, and some drivers were able to take advantage of this rule to ensure qualification of an otherwise uncompetitive team. As of 2008, an eligible driver may use the champion's provisional a maximum of 6 times per season. However, if qualifying is cancelled, the provisional may be used without being charged against the maximum.
http://www.jayski.com/stats/2008/chmpprov2008.htm
The need for sponsorship makes the top 35 cutoff critical for teams outside the top 35, and they are sometimes known as "Go or Go Home" cars. In previous years, the random qualifying draw included all possible cars, but starting in 2008, the cars were separated into two draws, with the top 35 cars going first in the session and all cars outside the top 35 going second, which has become known as "The
Boris SaidBoris Said is an American race car driver from Carlsbad, California but considers his hometown to be Stamford, Connecticut. His father, Bob Said, was a Formula One race driver and US Olympic bobsled driver in 1968 and 1972. He currently drives the #60 SoBe No Fear Energy Drink Ford Fusion...
Rule", named for an incident where Boris Said was on the provisional pole for the
2007 Pepsi 400The 2007 Pepsi 400 was the 18th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season and held on July 7, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida....
during qualifying until a downpour canceled the remainder of the qualifying session, and because his team placed outside of the top 35, and the field was set by the rulebook, Said went home. This change of rules was done to ensure that track conditions would be as consistent as possible for qualifiers outside the top 35.
Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series
The Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series also use a two-lap, single-car qualifying formula on ovals. Unlike the Sprint Cup Series, only the top 30 teams qualify automatically. For road courses, European-style qualifying is used. This involves putting all the cars attempting to qualify in groups of 5-7 based on practice speeds and giving each group about 5 minutes on the track to produce their best lap time.
Daytona 500
The
Daytona 500The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule. Matt Kenseth is the defending champion of the race....
has a unique qualifying process. A standard qualifying session is used to determine the front row (two cars). All remaining qualifiers are separated into two qualification races (the
Gatorade DuelThe Gatorade Duel, is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series preliminary event to the Daytona 500 held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. It consists of two races, and serves as a qualifying race for the Daytona 500...
s), whose finishing order is then used to determine the starting grid for the main race. The top 35 rule remains in effect and is applied after the Gatorade Duel races.
Race Procedure
Sprint Cup races are held either Saturday night or Sunday (weather permitting), while Nationwide Series races and Craftsman Truck Series races are usually run Friday night or Saturday. NASCAR avoids holding Sprint Cup races and other series races on the same day. Regional series also usually run Friday night or Saturday. Sprint Cup teams are rarely allowed to practice the day of a race.
Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series also cannot be held at the same time, owing to NASCAR's television restrictions that prohibit both series from running at the same time, and the lower series must air on tape delay rule if that happens.
Start of Race
NASCAR holds a mandatory driver's meeting two hours before each race, or in impound qualifying followed by the race shortly afterwards, before qualifying. Drivers that fail to attend the meeting or in pre-race ceremonies are forced to start last in the race. In addition, any team that switches to a backup car (due to an accident in practice), requires an engine change, requires other unapproved parts changes (in impound races) or makes a driver change (i.e. not being driven by the same driver who qualified it) must also drop to the rear of the field for the start.
Since 2004, drivers must wait until after the
national anthem(s)A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
has/have played before entering their cars.
At five minutes after the National Anthem, the command "Gentlemen, start your engines" (or a gender neutral variant) is given by
grand marshalGrand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders...
of the race. After at least three warm-up laps behind a pace car, all NASCAR races begin with a
rolling startA rolling start is one of two modes of initiating or restarting an auto race; the other mode is the standing start. In a rolling start, the cars are ordered on the track and are led on a certain number of laps at a pre-determined safe speed by the safety car or pace car...
.
In Race
During the race, each driver will periodically have his car serviced during pit stops.
Because of the success of the
Winter Heat SeriesWinter Heat Series was a television program on TNN and later ESPN2 that featured stock car racing.-History:The program aired during the winter months between November and January . The program began during the 1994-1995 winter and ran through the 1998-1999 winter...
in
Tucson Raceway ParkTucson Raceway Park is a 3/8-mile paved oval racetrack located off Interstate 10 just south of Tucson, Arizona. It is one of only three paved ovals in the state of Arizona .-History:...
in 1994-95, the Camping World Truck Series, which raced two exhibitions at the track, used a half time break format for all races for three and a half seasons, at all tracks in order to prevent teams from flying special pit crewmen to change tires, and to equalize smaller teams. From 1997 until the end of the format in July 1998, teams would stop for fuel in standard race conditions in addition to the one intermission break for fuel at larger circuits.
End of Race
A "green-white-checker" procedure was adopted by NASCAR in 1995 for the Camping World Truck Series, this requires the race to end under green flag conditions. After an experiment during the 1994-95 Winter Heat exhibitions, and in mid-July 2004 for all national and regional series, a one-attempt rule in effect for all NASCAR Touring series. Ironically the final Camping World Truck Series race held under the old rules had four different attempts.
Following the race, winning drivers often celebrate with burnouts and
victory lapA victory lap is a term used in motorsports to describe an extra lap of the race track after the conclusion of a race. This lap, driven at reduced speed, allows the winning driver to celebrate his or her victory and gives the spectators an opportunity to congratulate and honor the competitors...
s before arriving at victory lane.
Flags
Like most other sanctioning bodies, NASCAR will use flags to provide the drivers with information regarding track conditions. NASCAR, not adhering to the FIA rules (despite NASCAR being a member club of
ACCUS, the U.S. motor racing sporting authority and representative to the
FIA World Motor Sport CouncilThe World Motor Sport Council is the most powerful body of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It decides on rules and regulations for the FIA's various racing series, from karting to Formula One. Its membership is chosen by the FIA General Assembly, which contains representatives from...
), does not use the flag system outlined in the FIA International Sporting Code. Major differences include that in NASCAR (and other championships in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
) the white flag is used to signal that the leader is on the last lap, in ISC regulated events (such as
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
and most European championships) it is used to signal that a slower car is on track. Also, the blue flag specified in the FIA ISC does not have a diagonal stripe.
| Flag |
Description |
|
The green flag indicates that the race has started or restarted. |
|
The yellow flag or caution flag indicates a hazard on the track. All cars must slow down and follow the pace car. Passing is not allowed under the yellow flag. |
|
The red flag indicates that the race has been halted. This may happen due to a large accident, inclement weather, track repair (such as damaged catch fencing), or for severe track cleaning (such as the final laps, when NASCAR may clean the entire track to ensure the race can finish under green flag conditions, and to do so with the track clean of oil from engine failure or crashes). Race teams are not permitted to repair or adjust cars during red flag conditions. |
|
The red flag with a yellow cross is shown to indicate pit road is closed. This will be shown at the entrance of pit road when the yellow flag is displayed. When all the cars have gathered behind the pace car, pit road will open and this flag will be withdrawn. A red and green strobe light system is also used at the entrance and exit of pit road. |
|
The white flag indicates one lap remaining in the race. |
|
The checkered flag indicates that a race or qualifying is over. |
|
The black flag indicates that a driver is being penalized. This may be due to a rules infraction by the driver or pit crew, or if a vehicle has sufficient mechanical damage that it is a hazard to other drivers. A black flag shown with a red flag indicates a practice session is over. |
|
The black flag with a white cross indicates a driver is no longer being scored. This is normally shown if a driver does not respond to a black flag within three laps. |
|
The blue flag with a yellow stripe is shown to warn slow drivers of faster cars approaching. NASCAR rarely punishes drivers for not obeying this flag; however, it is frequently displayed and warnings may be given if it is blatant (such as a lapped driver blocking for a teammate). NASCAR uses the yellow diagonal stripe on the blue flag because the flag is usually displayed on top of the starter's stand, and not at eye-level to the driver from the track. |
|
The blue flag is used to indicate a local caution on a road course. It is not used on ovals. If a full course caution is required, NASCAR will use the yellow flag to indicate this. In the wake of a fatal corner worker crash at Daytona International Speedway in 2004 in a non-NASCAR sanctioned (but using track workers) race, NASCAR has become reluctant in recent years to use this flag, opting to full course cautions if any safety team members have to approach the track in an attempt to give safety workers a safer environment to inspect debris by forcing all cars under pace car speed, instead of race speed, to remove debris. The rationale is most of the field will be packed together while cleanup is happening, instead of being spread over the entire track. |
|
The yellow and red flag indicates that there is debris on the track. This flag is only used on road courses. |
Beneficiary rule
In years past, NASCAR would permit drivers to "race back to the caution flag". This would allow drivers to race for position just after a crash has happened, but before they had crossed the start/finish line with the yellow flag waving. Drivers had developed a
gentlemen's agreementA gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette....
to hold their position, and let slower cars gain lost laps, in this event rather than race, and in many instances, lead drivers would use this practice to reward lapped cars for not interfering with them during race conditions.
During the September 2003
Sylvania 300The Sylvania 300 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire.The Sylvania 300 has traditionally held in mid-September, however, the race has been rescheduled once in its history...
at
New Hampshire International SpeedwayNew Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as open wheel racing during the 1990s. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob...
,
Casey MearsCasey James Mears is the driver of the #07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Impala SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing...
, in an attempt to race back to the caution to gain a lap, nearly ran into the side of the disabled car of
Dale JarrettDale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver. He is the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion and the son of two-time NASCAR Grand National Champion Ned Jarrett. He is the younger brother of Glenn Jarrett, a former NASCAR driver himself and pit commentator. He is also the father of former...
, parked at the start-finish line following a restart crash.
This safety incident resulted in NASCAR banning the practice, and instituting a Beneficiary Rule to help the slower cars that would no longer be given laps back, by letting lapped cars race each other to gain a lap back.
One type of NASCAR race penalty which can be awarded is a one-lap penalty and the driver not being eligible to gain the lap back by the beneficiary. The beneficiary can be restored, however, by later racing the leader and passing the leader to gain the lap back. Once that happens, and that driver is lapped again, he would be eligible for the beneficiary rule.
Technical requirements and inspection
NASCAR will inspect every car before a race to ensure that this car does not violate any rule of its series, after the race the top 5 finishers and another random car will be reinspected. These inspection periods involve measuring the angle or size of the
spoilerA spoiler is an automotive aerodynamic device whose intended design function is to 'spoil' unfavorable air movement across a body of a vehicle in motion. Spoilers on the front of a vehicle are often called air dams, because in addition to directing air flow they also reduce the amount of air...
, weighing the car, comparing the body lines to templates, distributing restrictor plates (for restrictor plate races), distributing the wings (for the
Car of TomorrowThe Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
), and measuring the
ride heightRide height is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the underside of the chassis; or, more properly, to the shortest distance between a flat, level surface, and any part of a vehicle other than those parts designed to contact the ground...
.
All NASCAR race cars use a
roll cageA roll cage is a specially constructed frame built in the cab of a vehicle to protect its occupants from being injured in an accident, particularly in the event of a roll-over. Roll cages are used in nearly all purpose-built racecars, and in most cars modified for racing...
to protect the drivers and serve as the
chassisA chassis consists of a framework that supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animal's skeleton, for example in a motor vehicle or a firearm.- Examples of use :...
. All vehicles use a front engine-rear drive layout with pushrod engines as
overhead camshaftOverhead camshaft, commonly abbreviated to OHC, valvetrain configurations place the engine camshaft within the cylinder heads, above the combustion chambers, and drive the valves or lifters in a more direct manner compared to overhead valves and pushrods.Compared to OHV pushrod systems with the...
engines are not allowed. All engines are
carburatedA carburetor or carburettor is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It was invented by Karl Benz before 1885 and patented in 1886...
and
fuel injectionFuel injection is a system for mixing fuel with air in an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in gasoline automotive engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
is not allowed.
Forced inductionForced induction is a term used to describe internal combustion engines that are not naturally aspirated. A gas compressor is added to the air intake instead, thereby increasing the quantity of oxygen available for combustion...
is also not allowed, thus making all engines
naturally-aspiratedA naturally-aspirated engine is a reciprocating internal combustion engine that depends solely on atmospheric pressure to draw in combustion air...
.
All cars racing in the top three divisions use radial
slick tireA slick tyre is a type of tyre that has no tread pattern, used mostly in auto racing. The first production "slick tyre" was developed by a company called in the early 1950s. It was a drag racing slick...
s supplied by
Goodyear Tire and Rubber CompanyThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Today it is the third largest tire company in the world after Bridgestone and Michelin...
. Goodyear maintains ownership of the tires at all times and leases them to teams during race weekends. Until 2009 Goodyear would issue limited numbers of tires to teams for testing at tracks not governed by NASCAR. Starting in 2009 NASCAR has banned all testing at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks and Goodyear isn't allowed to supply tires for testing. Under the old rules (which NASCAR has said will go back into effect when the economy is better) Sprint Cup Series teams receive 200 tires, Nationwide Series teams receive 160 tires, and Camping World Truck Series teams receive 120 tires. NASCAR does not allow the use of
rain tiresRain tyres or Wet tyres are special tyres used in motorsport in wet weather as opposed to a slick tyre used in dry conditions. They are very similar in many ways to the tyres found on normal road cars.- Structure :...
on oval tracks as the fast turns and heavy cars place too much stress on the tires. In the late 90's NASCAR did attempt using rain tires in road course competition for all major series, but a lack of rain and road course dates and the development of the heavier
Car of TomorrowThe Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
meant that rain tires were not economically viable anymore for the Sprint Cup Series. The Nationwide Series may still use rain tires on a road course if needed. On August 2, 2008 NASCAR used rain tires in official competition for the first time in its existence in the
NAPA Auto Parts 200The NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which also the hosted the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix from 1982-2008.-Race history:* The inaugural race took place on August 4, 2007, in...
at
Circuit Gilles VilleneuveThe Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a street circuit which is the venue for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, and is the venue of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, and, as of 2007, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series races...
in Montreal, Quebec. The tires proved adequate in competition on a wet track, but heavy rains creating standing water caused the race to end prematurely after 48 of a planned 74 laps.
Impound rule
In 2005, NASCAR implemented a system of impounding cars between qualifying and the race, similar to
Formula One'sFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
parc ferméParc fermé, literally meaning "closed park" in French, is a term used to describe a secure area at a Grand Prix circuit where the cars may be stored overnight...
. All cars used in a NASCAR Sprint Cup race must be either a Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Dodge Charger, or Chevy Impala. With the introduction of the
Car of TomorrowThe Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
the differences between the different models were significantly lessened, but teams can have differences in engines, and setups. NASCAR created work lists that teams may perform immediately after qualifying and a few hours before the race. All work is to be done under the supervision of NASCAR officials. NASCAR will not allow teams to return to their cars once the work is complete. In 2006 and 2007 due to teams needing more practice time with the
Car of TomorrowThe Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
, and at the request of new cable partner ESPN, the rule was applied to 5 Sprint Cup races after being used in 21 races during 2005. The rule is still applied to all Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series races as well as many smaller series.
Gear Rule
Among the major series, NASCAR will enforce restrictions on the gear ratios teams may use at certain race tracks. NASCAR will provide teams a choice of possible differential gear ratios, while the highest transmission gear must be a 1:1 ratio and no other gear may be higher than 1.28:1.
OverdriveOverdrive can refer to two different things.An overdrive is a device which was commonly used in automobiles to allow the choice of an extra-high overall gear ratio for high speed cruising, thus saving fuel, at the cost of less torque. Usually the final or top gear is called overdrive...
gears are not permitted. The purpose of the rule is to lower the maximum RPM of the engines during races thus lowering the cost of building race engines. This is in contrast with other series such the
IRL IndyCar SeriesThe IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and overseas...
or
V8 SupercarV8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
which limit engine speed electronically.